Reader Q&A: Coupons for Kosher Food?

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Reader Q&A, hasn’t it? Sorry about that! I think Pesach completely threw me off my game, but I’m hoping to get back on the bandwagon.

Today’s question comes from Andrea and she’s wondering about coupons for kosher products.

I am curious if you would ever write on what kosher items (food) that you use coupons for? It just seems like most stuff we can’t buy.

It can be frustrating, can’t it? When I first started reading the big frugal blogs, I felt like I was skipping over every other post. Whether it was a recipe for some meat-cheese-hush puppy casserole or just coupons on non-hechshered products.

But the truth is that kosher couponing is DEFINITELY… INFINITELY do-able. Just like I figured out how to develop tunnel vision at the grocery store, I do the same thing with the coupons and deals. I hone in on the stuff I buy normally and/or know is kosher (and would be willing to try – especially if it’s free).

{Disclaimer: If you keep cholov / pas yisroel, it is a admittedly a bit narrower of a field, but the same general advice still applies!}

So here’s a list of food items that I routinely find and use coupons for:

Fruit – yes, really, fruit. I love the Cuties coupons that come in the newspaper all winter long. And I always nab some of the Driscoll printables for my summertime strawberries and blueberries. I even occasionally get Qs for veggies (like, yum, avocados! Oops, avocados are technically fruits, aren’t they?)

Tortillas / Bagels / Bread

Cereal – Oh, the cereal coupons! From Frosted Flakes to Kashi, you shouldn’t ever have to buy another box of cereal without a coupon.

Pasta – I almost never pay more than $.75 for a box of whole wheat pasta, thanks to coupons!

Pasta sauce, salad dressing, marinades, soy sauce, etc.

Yogurt – I love Stonyfield yogurt, and their website has an abundance of coupons, which reset every month. I haven’t paid the shelf price on yogurt in a LONG time.

Eggs – Whether it’s printables or coupons in the Sunday paper, egg coupons are very common. And who doesn’t need eggs?! (Those of you who are allergic aside, of course! ;-))

Rice – Mahatma Rice is Star-K and often has $.50/1 coupons on RedPlum.com (not now, but check back – they are frequently there)

“Junk Food” – From Cheez-Its to Chex Mix to cookies and brownie mix, there is no shortage of coupons for hechsered ‘junk food’

The next time you make your grocery list, take 10 minutes to scan my Coupon Database for the items you are shopping for. I bet you will find a number of coupons you weren’t aware of!

While I know you asked about food, please but don’t forget about all the coupons on toiletries, household cleaners and beauty supplies. When I first started couponing, I just focused on CVS deals for the first 10 months. I stocked my basement storage shelves with FREE (or nearly free) shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, lotion, body wash, make-up, laundry detergent, dish detergent, light bulbs, and more. Given that the average family spends more than $150 per month on these items alone, that’s a tremendous savings for my family!

So there you have it – a sampling of the kosher food items I buy with coupons. What about you? What do you use coupons for?

If you have a question for me — or my readers — please send me an email! I love hearing from my readers.

Comments

Comments

I love, love, love your blog!!! Thank you so much for your hard work, we just started eating Kosher in Janurary and are doing it mostly vegetarian as the food/meat is just SO expensive. Looking forward to more posts!

I try to use coupons for everything imaginable…except for meat, I never see coupons for Kosher meat.

I know – the meat is definitely a budget buster. That’s why I’m such a big proponent on saving on everything else that you can. Plus, we usually only eat meat on Shabbat – or a Sunday BBQ in the summer. Thanks for finding KOAB – I look forward to “seeing” you around.